There was a pause. Deane wanted to say: "And Ruth?" but that was a hard thing to say to one of the Hollands.
But Ted himself mentioned her. "Tell you what I'm worrying about, Deane," he blurted out, "and that's Ruth!"
Deane nodded appreciatively. He had always liked this young Ted, but there was a new outgoing to him for this.
"Father asked for her this afternoon. I don't care whether he was just right in his mind or not—it shows she's on his mind. 'Hasn't Ruth come in yet!' he asked, several times."
"You send for her, Ted," commanded the doctor. "You ought to. I'll back you up if Cy's disagreeable."
"He'll be disagreeable all right," muttered the younger brother.
"Well, what about Harriett?" impatiently demanded Deane. "Doesn't she see that Ruth ought to be here?" Harriett was Ruth's sister and the eldest of the four children.
"Harriett would be all right," said Ted, "if it weren't for that bunch of piety she's married to!"
Deane laughed. "Not keen for your brother-in-law, Ted?"
"Oh, I'll tell you, Deane," the boy burst out, "for a long time I haven't felt just like the rest of the family have about Ruth. It was an awful thing—I know that, but just the same it was pretty tough on Ruth. I'll bet she's been up against it, good and plenty, and all we've seemed to think about is the way it put us in bad. Not mother—Cy never did really get mother, you know, but father would have softened if it hadn't been for Cy's everlasting keeping him nagged up to the fact that he'd been wronged! Even Harriett would have been human if it hadn't been for Cy—and that upright husband she's got!"